Dissolving corpses in chemical baths is one of the solutions being considered to address the island’s overcrowded cemeteries.
Known as alkaline hydrolysis, this method was announced as a possible funeral choice during public consultation on the planning authority’s new cemetery policy.
Also known as resomation, the method uses a mixture of alkaline and hot water to dissolve body tissue into a dark “motor oil” liquid. The thick syrup is then treated along with standard domestic waste in the municipal sewage system or used as a high-protein fertiliser.
Announced by Planning Parliamentary Secretary Michael Falzon, the cemetery policy put forward a number of other suggestions including freeze drying of bodily remains using liquid nitrogen and the introduction of a conven-tional crematorium.
Contacted by Times of Malta, Joe Wilson, the scientist who first commercialised the process, said it offered a green alternative to standard cremation.
“This is much more environmentally friendly than heating up an incinerator and burning corpses,” he said, describing the liquefied bodies as “dark, ammonium coffee” or “loose motor oil”.
Asked which method the government was leaning towards, Dr Falzon said the government was not ruling out anything and was spurred by the island’s high dependency on cemeteries.
More than 90 per cent of corpses are buried in the island’s 50 cemeteries.
Raphael Axiak, the architect drafting the policy, said it was essential that new funeral methods were not imposed on families.
“We should encourage the introduction of new technologies but never force them on grieving families,” he said.
Mr Axiak said there was currently no policy governing burial sites. Instead, a few of the authority’s local plans made references to cemeteries.
“This policy will be the first to govern cemeteries across Malta and Gozo. It is necessary to manage this sector better.”
Appropriate legislation was also needed, Mr Axiak said, adding that the sole legal document on the issue dated back to 1869.
We should never force technologies on grieving families
Cemetery extensions would only be allowed after ecological and historical impact assessments were carried out. New cemeteries would not be allowed.
Among the authority’s main concerns, Mr Axiak said, was possible damage to the island’s topography as well as to the ground water table.
Only cemeteries that are a minimum of 183 metres from development zones would be permitted to have extensions: the same distance imposed on fireworks factories.
There are currently 12 unused burial sites identified by the authority.
The Catholic Church operates 34 and there are another four cemeteries run by other religions, including Jewish and Turkish burial sites.
The Church did not give any feedback during the initial consultation period.
A Mepa spokesman, however, said the authority had already received 13 suggestions for the extension policy.
Another measure being explored is allowing new grave plots within existing cemetery boundaries.
Mr Axiak said crematoriums and other technologies could be developed within industrial areas and the authority was still open to the idea of private sector operators.